Automatic railway track in



I (No Model.)

P.-O. COMPTON.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY TRACK INSPEGTOR.

M INWQAAW U STATES PORTER C. COMPTON, OF AMES, IOW'A.

AUTOWEATEG RAlLWAY-TRACK ENSPECTGR.

Application filed December 15, 18S4. Serial No.

SATEGIQ forming part of Letters Patent No.

BSLGEQ, dated December 1, 1885.

150.340. (h'o model.)

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PORTER O. COMPTON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Amos, in the county of Story and State of Iowa, have invented an Automatic Railway Track Inspector and Notator, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to facilitate the discovery of irregularities in the top surface of a railwaytrack, and also irregularities of gage or lateral deflections that require attention to secure safety to passing trains.

My invention consists in the construction and combination ofa machine with a car, as hereinafter fully set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which' Figure l is an end view, and Fig. 2 a

iew of-the rear side, of my machine in position as required for practical use. Fig. 3 is a fac-siinile of the tracing made by the machine to note and reveal the vertical irregularities and defects in the level of a track, and Fig. A is a fac-simile of the lateral deflections and irregularities of gage detected and noted by the machine at the same time.

Jointly considered, these figures clearly illustrate the construction, application, operation, and utility of my invention.

A represents an oblong frame that corre sponds in length with the gage of the track upon which my machine is to be used.

A and A are carriage-axles mounted in bearings A fixed on top and near the ends of the frame A. Flanged wheels adapted to run on the track are fixed to the ends of the revolving axles to produce a carriage adapted to carry my operative mechanism, and also adapted to be attached to a car to be thereby advanced over a track.

B is a rectangular frame fixed on the top of the frame A to extend vertically.

B are bearers fixed to the top portions 6f the ends of the frame A to support a sliding frame, 0.

B are cross-pieces fixed to the free ends of the bearers to guide the sliding frame.

0 is a sliding frame supported in a vertical position by the bearers B.

G is arevolving cylinder mounted in bearings fixed to the ends of the sliding frame.

0 is a geairwheel fixed to the axle of the cylinder.

0 is a driving-shaft that has its bearings fixed to the ends of the sliding frame. One of its ends is scrcwthreaded, and extends through a nut, D, that is fixed to the frame B.

D is a pinion fixed to the shaft 0 to engage the gear-wheel O and thereby rotate the cylinder.

D is a bevel gearwheel feathered to the shaft 0 in such a manner that when the wheel is rotated it will revolve the shaft, and also allow it to slide longitudinally.

F is a shalt in bearings fixed to the frame A. It has a bevel gear-wheel, D, fixed to its end to engage the wheel D F is a worm-wheel fixed to the center of the shaft F.

F is a worm formed on or fixed to the end of the carriage-axle A to engage the wheel F, as required to transmit rotary motion to the shaft E, and from thence to the shaft 0 by means of the wheels l) and D and the cylinder 0 by means of thepinion D and the gearwheel G is a rigid bar and pencil carrier pivoted to and suspended from a cross-piece at the top portion of the frame B.

G is an elbow-shaped lever pivoted to the under side of the frame A in such a manner that the vertical portion of the lever will extend down at the side of the wheel fixed to the axle A and terminate under the ball of the rail, and the horizontal portion of the same lever is connected with the lower end of the pendent pencil-carrier G by means of a rod, G.

G is a spring that presses the end of the lever toward the web of the rail.

H is a sliding rod extending from theiuner end of the axle A and terminating against the suspended pencil-carrier G. It passes through a bearing fixed to the frame B, and has a collar or shoulder, H, that retains a spring, H that is coiled around the rod between the collar and the stationary frame B. This spring keeps the end of the rod in contact with the end of the axle A.

H is a spring fixed to the frame A in such a manner that it will keep the suspended. pencil-carrier in contact with the inner end of the sliding rod H.

J is the rod, and J the bob, of a pendulum pencil-carrier suspended from the top of the frame B in such a manner that it will be in parallel position with the pencil-carrier G. Each of these peneil-carriers has perforations J, or pencil-holding devices, through which pencils are extended toward the cylinder 0, and retained in contact with paper O on the surface of the cylinder by means of sensitive springs c, that will cause the pencil b to trace lines upon the paper as the cylinder revolves. \Vhen the pencil carriers are in aperpendicular position, the lines traced by their pencils will be straight,and when they are not perpendicnlar the lines traced will vary from a straight line.

K is a and pencil holder fixed to the ends of the frame B in such a manner that pencils fastened thereto will engage the paper on the surface of the cylinder, and trace straight lines thereon relative to the irregular lines traced by the pencils carried by the sus pended carriers G and J.

L represents a scale, fixed to the frame A, to indicate when the machine and track are level.

In the practical use of my machine, thus constructed to correspond in width with the gage of the track upon which it is to be operated, l wrap a sheet of paper around the eylinder in such a manner that the four pencils (one in the suspended carrier G, one in the rod J, and two in the fixed bar K) that come in contact therewith will slide smoothly over the paper as the cylinder is revolved. I then move the sliding frame C and cylinder carried thereby to the side of the fixed frame B before advancing the machine on the track, so that when the machine is advanced the worm F on the axle A will, through the medium of the worm-wheel F, shaft F, and bevel gearwheels D and D,,rotate the shaft 0". As the shaft 0 is operated it will advance in the nut D and move the sliding frame and cylinder along, and at the same time, by means of the fixed pinion D and the gear-wheel O", (which pinion and wheel remain in mesh as the drum t1 and shaft 0 slide jointly.) rotate the cylinder, and thereby causethe four pencils to trace lines spirally upon the paper carried by the revolving and sliding cylinder.

hen the track traversed is not level, the pendulum pencil-carrier J will swing laterally, and the pencil therein will trace an irregular line to note the variation of level, as shown in Fig. 3.

When the is irregular, the carriageaxle A" will slide in its bearings, and by means of the rod H move the suspended pencil-carrier G laterally, so that the pencil carried thereby will note the irregularity of gage in the track, as shown in Fig. 4.

When the lower bent end. of the pivoted lever G comesin contact with a fish-plate at a joint, it will, in sliding over the plate, vibrate sufficiently to press the pencil-carrier G in the opposite direction and cause the pencil to mark each joint in the track, as

clearly shown in the diagram Fig. lhe pencils thus successively moved in opposite directions relative to the straight lines traced by the pencils held at fixed points in the bar K will trace irregular lines, corresponding with the variations in the level of the track and the gage of the track, and thus detect and record any defects that may exist in the track.

The straight lines in the diagrams, made simultaneously by the pencils 1) in the fixed bar K,with the irregular lines, made by the pencils carried in the vibrating carriers G and J, may be considered the datum lines, so that the space between an irregular line and its corresponding straight line will be a true index of the level, and also of the gage of a track.

I prefer to make the machine so that the actual variations in the irregular lines traced upon the paper will be one-fourth the actual variations in the level of the track and onehalf in that of the gage.

I am aware that a rotating axle in a trackinspector has had longitudinal play relative to the track-rails upon which the machine was operated, and that a horizontal frame and vertical frame have been combined to produce a carriage adapted to carry track inspecting and recording mechanisms; but my manner of constructing a carriage and combining a sliding 'flTtl'llO and track inspecting and recording devices with the carriage-frame is novel and advantageous.

I claim as my invention 1. In a railway-track-inspecting machine, a carriage composed of a horizontal frame having fixed axle-bearings at its opposite ends, one axle being fixed to a tractionwvheel, and provided with a worm on its end adapted to transmit rotary motion, a rotating shaft that slides in bearings fixed to the frame, gearing to transmit motion from the worm to said sliding shaft, and one axle fixed to a tractionwheel in such amanner that the axleand wheel can rotate and also slide laterally relative to the variations in the gage of a track.

2. A carriage having one of its axles pro vided with a worm at its inner end, and one of its axles provided with springs adapted to slide it longitudinally and in reverse ways, a vertical frame fixed on top of the horizontal carriage-frame, a rotating and sliding shaft, gearing to transmit motion from the worm on the rotating axle to said sliding shaft, pencilcarriers suspended on the vertical frame, and liding frame carrying a rotating cylinder, anged and combined to operate in the manr set forth, for the purposes specified.

3, A carriage-frame, A B, having a worm on the end of one of its axles, a sliding frame, (3, carrying a cylinder having a gear-wheel on its axle, a shaft having a bevel gear-wheel feathered to one of its ends and a scre\vthreaded section at its opposite end extended through a fixed nut, D, and a pinion fixed to its intermediate portion, and a short shaft, F, having a fixed Worm-wheel, F, and a fixed bevel gear-wheel, D arranged and combined to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes stated.

4. The combination of a suspended pencilcarrier, G, with a carriage having a stationary pencil-holder, K, a sliding frame carrying a rotating cylinder, asliding axle, A a sliding rod, H, and springs H and H, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes specilied.

The combination of a suspended pencil carrier, G, With a carriage having a stationary pencil-holder, K, a sliding frame carrying a rotating cylinder, a sliding axle, A, a sliding rod, H, an elbow-shaped lever, G, and a connecting-rod, G to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes specified.

6. An automatic railway-track inspector and notator, (o nposed of the following elements, to wit: a carriage consisting of a horizontal frame having a vertical frame fixed on its top, a revolving axle provided with a worm at its inner end and a flanged traetionwheel at its outer end, a revolving axle adapted to slide longitudinally in its bearings and having a flanged traction-wheel at its outer end, a sliding frame carrying a revolving cylinder and a gear-wheel, a rotating and sliding shaft carrying a pinion, mechanism to transmit motion from the rotating carriage-axle to the rotating shaft, a sliding frame and a rotating cylinder, a fixed bar and 1; cncil-h0lder, apendent pencil-carrier having a hob on its end, a pendent pencil-carrierhaving pressing devices on the opposite sides of its lower end, snbstair tially as set forth.

PORTER C. COMPTON.

\Vitnesses:

THOMAS G. ORWIG, Post-my WALKER. 

